Pre Game Notes, News, Thoughts

Your guess for the suspended game's pitchers will be is as good as ours. Hurdle said he was goping to wait to see how the 7th inning (the game's pick-up point) plays out before committing himself.  And that's more than Bryan Price has let out. The lineups will be the same as when the game was halted.

Gerrit Cole (2-0, 3.46) and Mike Leake (1-1, 2.45) face off in the second game. Cole is working on becoming a future ace, and this will be another step in his education; he's never faced the Reds before. Leake has seen the Bucs and been pretty strong against them, with a 5-3/3.22 slash. He tossed an eight inning whitewash last outing, so he's already in form.

We'll get you the regulation game lineups with the suspended game's recap.

Root Sports will show the completion of the first game, along with the following game in its entirety, as will 93.7 The Fan.

• We're beginning to have some concerns re: Wandy. Clint defends by saying the opposition is hitting every mistake pitch, but that's really not so; he's been living high in the zone for all three starts and left quite a few mistakes to smack.  
• Against Milwaukee and then yesterday against the Reds, the Buc pitchers had a lot of two-strike pitches hit hard. Finishing is one big diff between this staff and last year's in the early going.
• The first game will be finished in regular unis; the second in Jackie Robinson stuff. This si the anniversary of Jackie playing with the Dodgers.
• Yesterday was the second time the same Pirates had a pair of back-to-back homers like The Kid and Gaby did. That was on April 27th, 1954, when Toby Atwell and Jerry Lynch first did it, also against the Reds at Crosley Field.
• What a difference a ballyard makes - Pittsburgh has 14 homers in its last three games at Great American Ballpark. But with all this homer-mania, Elias Sports reminded us that the Royals have one HR in 11 games this year. If don't hit one tonight they'd be first team with one HR thru the first 12 games of season since the 1985 Pirates.
• Ex-Bucs: A.J. Burnett has an inguinal hernia, which will eventually require surgery, but he's going to attempt to pitch through this season before undergoing that surgery. Jesse Chavez of the Oakland A's has found success as a starter. Texas sent Daniel McCutchen down to AAA, and the Indians did the same to Nyjer Morgan..

 

 The Kid & Gaby, back-2-back just like last night.

(Image from Pittsburgh Pirates)